E04 – Dredger Bible: Equipment, Pumps & Automation

A technical self-study course on the engineering fundamentals behind dredging equipment, pump and drive systems, major dredger types, process measurement, and automation. Built from the attached source materials, it connects soil and fluid mechanics to real dredger hardware, production logic, and special techniques used beyond routine production dredging.

£299.00

2 hours 19 minutes

Focused, self-paced learning designed to fit around professional schedules.

Online, self-paced

Study online at a pace that fits your schedule.

9 sections

Structured curriculum sections.

English

Language of instruction for this course.

47 lessons

Focused lessons organised into a clear learning path.

Course overview

A technical self-study course on the engineering fundamentals behind dredging equipment, pump and drive systems, major dredger types, process measurement, and automation. Built from the attached source materials, it connects soil and fluid mechanics to real dredger hardware, production logic, and special techniques used beyond routine production dredging.

What you will learn

Apply soil mechanics concepts to predict how seabed materials behave during dredging.

Use fluid mechanics principles to interpret flow, head loss, and pipeline behavior in dredging systems.

Analyse centrifugal dredge pump performance, cavitation risk, and pump-pipeline operating points.

Compare dredger types, working equipment, and production methods for mechanical and hydraulic dredging.

Evaluate measurement and automation systems used to control dredging processes.

Select appropriate special dredging techniques for rock, contaminated sediment, levelling, and compaction tasks.

Skills and knowledge

Soil mechanics

Fluid mechanics

Dredge pumps

Drive systems

Dredger equipment

Automation

Production analysis

Special techniques

Course curriculum

Introduction

1.1 Welcome

Soil Mechanics Fundamentals

2.1 Soil and Rock Classes
2.2 Density and Packing
2.3 Consistency of Clays
2.4 Effective Stress
2.5 Permeability and Settlement
2.6 Shear Strength in Practice

Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals

3.1 Fluid Properties
3.2 Hydrostatics and Buoyancy
3.3 Continuity Equation
3.4 Bernoulli in Pipelines
3.5 Flow Regimes
3.6 Friction and Local Losses

Dredge Pump and Drive Systems

4.1 Centrifugal Pump Principle
4.2 Pump Characteristics
4.3 Cavitation and NPSH
4.4 Drive Systems Compared
4.5 Pump-Pipeline Matching
4.6 Series and Parallel Pumps
4.7 Production from Mixture

Bucket, Crane and Suction Equipment

5.1 Bucket Dredger Layout
5.2 Bucket Production Logic
5.3 Backhoe Dredge Crane
5.4 Grab Dredge Crane
5.5 Plain Suction Dredger
5.6 Breaching and Jetting
5.7 Hopper Barge Suction

CSD and TSHD Equipment

6.1 CSD Main Systems
6.2 Cutter Head Mechanics
6.3 CSD Work Method
6.4 CSD Production Control
6.5 TSHD Main Systems
6.6 Drag Head and Loading
6.7 TSHD Optimization

Process Measurement and Automation

7.1 Measured Process Variables
7.2 Pressure and Flow Measurement
7.3 Density and Position Systems
7.4 Recording and Accuracy
7.5 Control Principles
7.6 Automation on Dredgers

Special Dredging Techniques

8.1 Why Special Techniques
8.2 Rock Fragmentation
8.3 Contaminated Sediment
8.4 Agitation and Levelling
8.5 Soil Compaction
8.6 Choosing the Technique

Summary

9.1 Key Takeaways

Ready to enrol?

£299.00